Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground (1864), his first consequential post-Siberian imprisonment publication, explores the tragicomedy of humanity’s entrapment in the confines soul-sapping modernity and serves as the foundation of the existential and metaphysical concepts he addresses in the Great Five: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, The Adolescent, and Brothers Karamazov.

In commemoration of the 160th anniversary of the novel’s publication, The Iowa City Book Festival presents:

University of Iowa Adjunct Assistant Professor Anna Barker will present the talk “From Peter the Great to Napoleon the Lesser: Dostoevsky and the Great Men of History.”

This event is part of the 2024 Iowa City Book Festival and is sponsored by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature.